Stars return to Sharjah

Sharjah, February 16: The stars of the Staysure Tour are set to make their return for the second edition of the Sharjah Golf Masters presented by Shurooq at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club from March 8-10.

After the success of last year’s tournament, the first event on the Staysure Tour calendar for 2018 will welcome some of golf’s biggest names from years gone by with 14 Ryder Cup players set to tee it up in the United Arab Emirates, including The 2014 Ryder Cup winning captain Paul McGinley.

He will be joined by American Clark Dennis, who became the first American to win the John Jacobs Trophy for topping the Order of Merit in 2017, and was also named Rookie of the Year that same season.

As in 2017, the tournament will be played over the nine-hole golf course at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, with two loops of nine holes utilising different tees and hole locations.

Last year’s champion Chris Williams joins the field, with preparations in full swing to defend the title he won in spectacular fashion after beating Gary Marks in a play-off last year.

Northern Ireland’s Rafferty, winner of the European Tour Order of Merit in 1989 and former European Number One, will continue his quest for a maiden Staysure Tour title, adding to the seven he won on the European Tour between 1989 and 1993.

Also confirmed are two-time Senior Major Champion Roger Chapman, who became the first European to win both the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and U.S. Senior Open in the same season in 2012, and 2016 Senior Tour Rookie of the Year Magnus P Atlevi, who secured his maiden Senior Tour title at Le Golf National, host venue of The 2018 Ryder Cup, at the Paris Legends Championship.

Phil Golding will also look to add another title to his name after doubling his number of Staysure Tour victories to four in 2017 with wins at the Swiss Seniors Open and Travis Perkins Masters.

David MacLaren, Head of the Staysure Tour, said: “As you can see by the quality of the field we are expecting for the first event on the Staysure Tour in 2018 – the Sharjah Golf Masters presented by Shurooq – we expect this tournament will provide another enthralling battle between our players and a worthy winner of the title.

“We wish all of our players the best of luck for the forthcoming season and we look forward to working alongside our new title partner in Staysure to deliver another memorable season of golf.”

Speaking on the return of the Staysure Tour season to Sharjah, His Excellency Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), state entity sponsoring and co-organisng the prestigious senior golf tournament, said: “We look forward to the return of some of the biggest and most prominent names in the senior golf sports, of whom shared memorable experiences during their last participation at the Sharjah Senior Golf Masters 2017. Similarly, we are excited to welcome some of the new names participating this year, all of which sharing a dedicated commitment to going after the title shot.”

He added: “Some of the big names slated to participate this year have competed in golf courses all over the world, each attaining a unique memory behind their experiences. Sharjah has long been one of these distinctive destinations for several golf players, and especially for the senior golf masters. We see these types of tournaments as key opportunities for us to give tourists, visitors and golf enthusiasts a taste of authenticity, nature and culture when practicing a prestigious sport such as Golf in Sharjah.”

Staysure, the UK’s leading travel insurance provider and specialist in the over 50s market, became the first ever title sponsor of the European Senior Tour in a landmark partnership last December.

(This news story on www.pargolf.in is brought to you by Dr. Lal PathLabs Ltd. official sponsor of Indo Nippon Golf Cup 2018)